THE LAITY IN THE DOCUMENT OF APARECIDA

Abstract

Laity is a key theme of the Aparecida Document. The layperson's conception of the Fifth Conference is a legacy of conciliar ecclesiology and well anchored in the reality of Latin America. The document asserts that the people of God is the very condition of all Christians and understands that all Christians are missionary disciples called to announce Jesus Christ with enthusiasm in today's society. It also reaffirms the mission of lay men and women as ecclesial subjects in the Church and in the world. However, the article also indicates Aparecida's limitations regarding the absence of a critique of clericalism and of the laity's in­ternal division within the Church, as well as the lack of a theology of secularism.